Phase I of Tarting Up Stately Price Manor is Now Complete.

We've been planning it for months, and now it begins. As always, our home improvements are occasioned by daring (read: cheap) ideas in renovation. Sometimes, I've been quite literally hosed by the daringness of the former owner's decisionmaking. I'll set aside the issue of mummified animal carcasses for another day.

Jackhole.

So, yesterday the painters were in and put a couple of coats of washable Sherwin Williams up around our combination kitchen/dining room/laundry room. Have I mentioned that Casa Del Price is shrinking faster than the trash compactor on the Death Star from Episode IV?

A little background here. A couple years back, Heather and I took a day and painted the hallway and kitchen. The hallway still needs some touchup, but we are otherwise satisfied with it.

But the kitchen...well, to be honest, we never quite completed it. The primer and the first coat, sure...But then the short demanding people began filing into the house, and good intentions turned into a dead end. No more. This year, it gets done--and done right.

Anyhoo--As always, SW offers a baffling selection of paint tones, some of which require visual spectra which reach into the far infrared in order to discern the alleged differences. No sir--SW will not be shackled by the conventions of primary colors. Not when it can offer you Tendentious Teal, Meditational Taupe, Soporific Beige or a bazillion other shades. Fortunately, Heather picked up some paint chips and we agreed on a suitably neutral tone. We had been gently advised that our previous color, False Dawn Over Los Alamos Yellow (which we liked) was a bit of a turnoff.

We told them what we were looking for, gave them the tone and they showed up, raring to go. Boom--done. If you need painters in the Metro Detroit area, I have your guys. All About Painting--seriously, I have the numbers.

But. And there's always a catch. The painters discovered that our hot water heater is leaking (yes, it's in the "great room," too). Got to get that addressed, pronto.

The floor installers are in in two weeks. Heaven only knows what they will find.